


Deltarune: Kris and Ralsei's Purpose

by RalseiAuthor



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Crushes, Deltarune Spoilers, I appreciate the support!, M/M, Metallica References, Open Comment Section, Thnx for giving this a shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-12-07 20:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18239945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RalseiAuthor/pseuds/RalseiAuthor
Summary: Kris and Susie frequently return to the Dark World, which has been made easier by the help of a family member. Despite getting to see Ralsei, his best friend, as often as he wishes, Kris has felt that something's been missing ever since he left the Dark World for the first time. He's hoping to explain what's been going on to Ralsei, believing that the two of them can figure out how to solve his problem - while having no idea of what the day will have in store for them.





	1. The Mental Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first AO3 story, and I hope you enjoy it. I don't have a consistent writing pattern, so I'm not sure when the other chapters will be done, but I've been enjoying this, so I intend to finish it.

**Deltarune: Kris and Ralsei's Purpose**

 

**Introduction**

 

“Well, your uncle’s not half bad at what he does.”

Sunlight shot into the halls of the school when Kris and Susie opened the brass front doors. It was a Saturday morning, so there was an unusual quiet. The only other person in the school was Kris’ crazed uncle, who’d moved back into town recently in his search for a job.

He was wild enough for Kris to believe he’d understand his story of the Dark World and the closet, and when he got the job at the school as a custodian, he’d leave the doors unlocked for the two friends if they ever wanted to make another trip.

“Hey, how’d you convince your mom to let you here, anyway? You rarely wander off without her.”

“Well…” Kris uncomfortably stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I convinced her that I was sleeping over for the night at… your place, so we could work on our new geography project together.”

“…Dude. You know I’d never let someone stay for the night, that’s what nerds do. You’re only gonna say that to cover up where we're really going, alright?”

Kris quickly nodded.

“Eh, I won’t bug ya about it again. Something about getting near that closet makes my whole mind shift.”

He couldn’t disagree with that. Ever since that fateful day when he’d fallen into the Dark World for the first time, Kris felt such a greater sense of purpose than before. It had given him the chance to use courage that he wasn’t even aware he had, and he’d gotten to meet plenty of great people – Ralsei, in particular.

However, ever since the night after he connected the Dark and Light Worlds, Kris felt that something about him had been… missing. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall anything that happened that night, or what could be gone that he once possessed. Either way, he knew something wasn’t right, and hoped that on this visit, Ralsei may have some understanding.

Before entering the closet, Kris’ uncle popped around the corner to make a final quip: “Hope ya finally find that ‘chalk’ you need!” He turned away with a snicker.

 

**Chapter 1 - The Mental Battle**

 

 

Since they’d made the fall enough times, Kris and Susie knew the right way to land. They both planted their feet firmly on the ground, somehow not shredding their knees in the process.

“You alright, Kris? You’re always blue when we’re down here, but your hue seems, like, gloomier than usual.”

“…yeah, I’ll be alright. Being here always helps.”

With that, the human and monster walked to Ralsei’s castle without saying much. Despite Kris’ silence, Susie knew something was up, but also knew not to ask much into it. It was clear to her that he had a better connection with Ralsei, and didn’t want to blurt out anything that could ruin it.

After walking past the shop and inn that still had no residents, Kris made a firm knock on the door, and heard a quick rustling behind it, followed by a smash. Before he could get too worried about what it was, Ralsei had swung the door open. He still had the white ribbon that Kris had tied around his hat months ago.

“Kris! Susie! What a great surprise!” He nearly hugged Susie, realized it was a bad idea, and turned to Kris instead, giving him a tight squeeze.

“I’m glad you’re here, I started missing you a lot…” He whispered it quietly enough for only Kris to hear, then let off one of his signature blushes.

Ralsei hadn’t truly understood how alone he was until Kris and Susie had left for the first time. It put more of the time he spent by himself in perspective, understanding that there was more to life now than just wandering his castle, without anyone to show his works to. Thinking of Kris in particular gave him a feeling in his gut that he’d never had before, even if he didn’t quite understand it yet.

“Um, I didn’t think of any plans for us…” Ralsei reluctantly let go of the hug. “But I’m sure the two of you could think of something you’d like!”

“I’ll let you two lovebirds decide.”

“Susie! What’re you impl- er…” He quickly glanced over at Kris before turning back, now completely flustered. “I- I just figured that you could choose, since you’re not around here as often as me.”

Susie just laughed a bit and went out the door with the other two in tow, looking for something to do. The quiet surrounding Ralsei’s castle was peaceful to all three of them. It was far from the bustle of the town that the Lightners were from, and without any of the shenanigans from King Lancer’s castle.

That is, until the shenanigans got tired of waiting.

When they walked past the inn, a door loudly swung open, and the young king was standing there with a huge ice cream cone in his hand.

“LANCER!”, the three of them unironically shouted in unison.

“Hey! My fan club's back!” He ran over to them, keeping both eyes on the ice cream, so it wouldn’t fall over. Mint with chocolate chips: Ralsei’s favorite flavor.

“H-how and why’d you get in there? No one’s been in the inn for years…”

“Well, whenever I came by, it just seemed to collect more dust, so why not give it a look? Good thing you hid the key in a flower pot; otherwise, I never would’ve gotten in and found the freezer that still works!” He took a big lick.

“But I swear I could hear one of the flowers talking…”

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Oh, nothing.” To Lancer, it really was nothing, as he forgot about it within minutes.

After an awkward period of silence, the four of them couldn’t think of anything thrilling to do, so they just decided to head over to Lancer’s castle, and stop at Seam’s to pick up some Dark Burgers along the way. During their travels, Lancer started erasing the old messages on his signs, and wrote “helpful” instructions for getting through his rather easy maze, most of which somehow still led to dead ends.

While walking along the path and listening to Lancer and Susie joke about who knows what, Kris considered how he should approach his topic with Ralsei. The prince was very studious, and would always be willing to listen to a friend in need, so it wasn’t his reply that worried him. What Kris didn’t understand, unfortunately, was how he’d put it to words himself.

Before he could hurt his head too much by thinking about it, the group made it to Seam’s. He greeted them with his typical grin, and told them about how business has been booming then the two worlds were relinked.

“No other Lightners have popped up yet, but I’m being renowned as the guy that fed the four of you.” He dryly laughed a bit. “It brings in more people to see my knick knacks, and if anything, I get more personalities to talk to.”

As they left his shop after buying the burgers, he made his typical ‘See you soon… or not’ farewell. Kris figured that it’s likely how he says goodbye to anyone, so he shouldn’t take it seriously. Lancer was the first to speak up again.

“Oh, Susie! I ordered for those matching track jackets to be made for us! Could you give me your height and waist sizes, so it fits perfectly?”

“Um… sure?” Susie had forgotten about the jackets, but still liked the idea of them, so the two sat down by the shop and talked about what the sizes should be.

“C’mon, Kris! The shade’s perfect under that apple tree!” Hearing Ralsei again put a grin on his face, as they sat down and started eating away at their burgers. They still tasted a bit burnt, but that made them feel more authentic.

Now was the right time to bring up what was bothering him. He might’ve not been ready to do so yet, but Kris didn’t know when he’d next get to talk to Ralsei this personally.

“Ralsei, c-could I tell you about something that’s been messing with my head?”

“Oh, no! Did you have a bad landing when you came down here? Here, you need the HP from my burger more than I do.” He offered to give him the rest of it, but Kris politely declined.

Knowing that he’d gotten through the hardest part by asking, Kris told Ralsei all about how he’d felt over the past couple months. He described in detail the nightmares he’d gotten, and the feeling he had that something he used to have was gone.

“I would’ve told my mom, but I didn’t want her to ask more about the storage closet, or else I’d have to come clean about it. I’m afraid that something happened to me after I went back to the Light World, and that I’ll never understand how to get back whatever I lost…”

“Kris...” Ralsei’s eyes lowered. “I am so, so sorry. I shouldn’t have told you to enter the fountain without clearly researching the results. As soon as we arrive at Lancer’s castle, I’ll search the libraries for anything that could help you. I can’t let someone that means as much to me as you go through this kind of thing alone. Loneliness is scary.”

“Maybe I deserve it. If I could never make a close bond in the Light World, do I really deserve to come here and blurt out all my problems?” This was another growing problem that Kris felt: a lack of confidence. Before he could go any further, Ralsei got closer and put his hand on Kris’ shoulder.

“Please don’t say mean things about yourself, Kris.” He looked up and made a bittersweet smile. “That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

The Lightner and Darkner stared at each other with sad, yet determined smiles. Despite the difference of the worlds they lived in, neither of them had met someone that they felt a greater motivation to be with. It was clear that neither of them would let the other tear themselves down; Ralsei and Kris would support each other until the very end. The problem wasn’t solved yet, but at least they both knew to work towards an answer. They finished their burgers and joined with the others…

…without any clue of what kind of day they’d have.

 


	2. Ralsei's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang makes their way to Lancer's castle, with Kris and Ralsei looking for answers. Along the way, Kris recalls Ralsei's past, and how fortunate he is to have a friend like him. They also discover the new 'additions' that Lancer's made to his castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the attention the first chapter got, the amount of hits inspires me to keep writing.

**Chapter 2 – Raslei’s Past**

 

The rest of the walk was much quieter. Aside from Lancer showing Susie the design for the track jackets that he’d created, the four spent most of the time listening to the winds and songs from the birds. There’d occasionally be a wave from a passerby, but aside from that, everyone mostly kept to themselves.

After his declaration that all Lightners would be treated as equals, Lancer ordered for all crowns to be banned from the Great Board. While some were annoyed by this, it meant no K. Rounds would be popping up anytime soon, which was best for everyone’s safety.

Kris could take a deep breath of relief, now that his problem wasn’t stuck in his head. After what he and Ralsei had gone through to seal the fountain, the two had a greater understanding for each other, and were willing to discuss things they usually wouldn’t consider telling anyone else.

* * *

There wasn’t much that Ralsei _hadn’t_ trusted Kris to hear by now. Ever since they’d first met, Ralsei knew that the human was a hero with the best of intentions. Not wanting to hide anything, he decided to tell Kris about his past when they were locked in the jail cell at Lancer’s castle, waiting for Susie to open the cell door for them.

Ralsei had lived on his own for as long as he could remember. For reasons that he still couldn’t understand, his parents left him at a very young age. All that Ralsei could surmise was that the two of them couldn’t accept the pressures of being rulers. Regardless of why, it wasn’t in their interests to take care of their only son, so they left him the resources that he’d need, and departed without a word.

Since he was so young when it happened, Ralsei couldn’t remember much from when he had parental care. He was able to educate himself with the mass of books that had been left in the library, and he taught himself how to materialize food, even if it didn’t taste the best that way.

“I never got to make friends the same way you and Susie have – well, she hopefully has.” Despite the sadness of what he’d said, Ralsei somehow managed to avoid sounding despondent, so Kris’s emotions wouldn’t be tanked before they’d arrive at the castle roof.

His lack of friends hadn't been without trying. He'd attempted to meet people on the other side of the Great Door, but no one seemed to want any part of him. He figured it had to do with his parents' reputation, which, considering their lack of responsibility towards their son, must've not been great.

All of his talents were either self-taught, or learned through his castle’s books. Cooking, for instance, came to Ralsei after putting enough time into his research, while making his own clothes came surprisingly naturally. Even in his loneliness, he had pride in his attention to detail- all the rooms in his castle were kept neat and welcoming, in case anyone were to come by – aside from the royal workers who would occasionally arrive, just to say that some odd new law was put into place.

Without much to do, most of Ralsei’s days alone were spent reading the same books from his library, all of which he’d finished already, or staring through the window, hoping that it would be the day that the Lightners would finally come.

“I know there’s a bigger task ahead, but I’ve never had anyone to really tell my past to- at least, no one that would listen the whole time. Meeting you and Susie is the most meaningful thing I’ve ever had… so that’s why, ok, Kris?”

Before Kris could’ve responded, Susie had shouted for directions to a puzzle, and the conversation ended, but it wasn’t forgotten.

* * *

As Kris and Ralsei walked to Lancer’s castle, they both thought about each other’s paths, the Dark Fountain, and anything else that could help them in their mission. If anything, their presence made each other more confident.

“How’ve things been down here since our last visit?”

“Oh, nothing much has changed. Lancer’s still been working on his ‘kingly’ duties, whatever they are. Now that I’ve given the manual to you, I can’t fill time working on it anymore, haha!”

Ralsei had put months upon months into writing that manual. It was too complicated for anyone else to read it, but it still stood on the center of Kris’ bookshelf, reminding him of how warmhearted of a friend he had. Only a truly wretched being would give throwing it away a thought.

“I do admit, though, that being alone has gotten more… challenging. I know you and Susie have lives in the Light World, and I don’t want to take you two away from any of that, but it’s harder to stay focused here when it’s quiet… I’m saying too much. Today’s about you, not me.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Your concerns are just as important as mine.”

“But… I’m a Darkner. My purpose is to help Lightners with any trouble they face.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I order you to care for yourself more.” He gave Ralsei a friendly little pat on the shoulder, getting him all flustered again.

“…A-alright.” He had a bit more strut to his step as the group approached the castle doors.

Lancer unlocked the doors with a new “key”, which was somehow a piece of cake, and swung them open. Every trace of his dad’s presence was gone- there were no paintings of his "Ex-Dad" that the artists were forced to make, and the same self-portrait of Lancer was featured on nearly every wall. The holes that he liked to dig his room were now around all the halls, so the guests had to watch for them with every step they took.

“So, where’d you like to go, Ralsei, Susie, and the blue one?”

“Um… Kris and I were wondering if we could check out your library. It’s probably larger than mine, and there’s some research we have to do.”

“Uh oh, does the blue one have one of those horrible ‘projects’ to do?

“Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”

“…Okay! I’ll show you my new throne, Susie; the old one was too big.”

Susie seemed fine with this, so Lancer and her rode up the elevator, while the other two went down the stairs to the library. Ralsei was right about it being larger than his; most of the books needed magic or a ladder to be reached.

Ralsei, being the smart thinker he is, quickly figured out where the books on magical architecture, such as fountains, would be. He used a spell to safely bring them down, but some of them were so dusty that he was worried that just opening them would make himself and Kris ill.

“Hopefully these are in English, or it could take a while…” They each popped a book open and started reading. Little did they know that the part of the castle adjacent to the library was the prison… where a foe that they’d defeated before could recognize the sound of their footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a Kudos/comment if you're liking this so far.


	3. Ace of Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kris and Ralsei search the library for any bit of information they can get, a former foe with a devastating plan sits in listening distance. In his mind, his newest plan is sure to rid the Dark World of its newest 'heroes', and let him reclaim what he's lost.

**Chapter 3 – Ace of Spades**

 

The Spade King sat longingly in his cell, which had been his home for the last month. Ever since his son led the overthrow of the throne, he’d been stuck in the dirty, moss-filled prison, with nothing to do but contemplate his decisions. While he certainly wasn’t content with the grimy, dark room, he didn’t have an ounce of regret for his choices as king.

“Fools… they took the greatest thing they could have and threw it away: my control. Soon, they’ll realize how horrid my son is as a leader, and they’ll come crawling back to me-”

His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing noise coming from the throne room, followed by cheers. He’d been kidding himself- it was clear that just about everyone adored Lancer, and were glad that the days of the past were just that: the past. Tired of giving it more attention, the former King was about to try to get a lick of sleep- until, that is, he heard the footsteps.

“Eh, my ears are probably playing tricks on me again.” He nearly dismissed it, but they grew louder and louder, until he heard some chairs being pushed, along with light discussion.

“…It’s them. The human, and that goody-two-shoes prince.”

 _Now_ he was certainly paying attention. He put his head up to the stones in an effort to hear what they were saying, despite the snores from that jester making it a challenge. All he could make out was “spell”, “caring”, “fountain”, and “finding a solution.” Despite his lack of peaceful leadership, the ex-king had a keen mind, and it didn’t take long for him to interpret the exchange as an effort to find some sort of cure.

“It’s about time they came back,” he muttered under his breath. “I can finally put my idea into place.”

As much as he tried, the bars that kept the king in his cell wouldn’t break, no matter how much strength he used against them. A small door at the bottom was opened once a day for food and water to be pushed under, but it was far too small to make a daring escape, especially considering his… lengthy waistline. Figuring that breaking out wasn’t an option, he figured that the only way to regain power was to convince the people that he was needed again. Now that the ‘heroes’ were back, the right chance had come.

Despite often resorting to brute force, the Spade King had some knowledge in spells, particularly ones of terror. Unknowingly to the rest of the guards, there was something he kept in his shoe for if he ever had to use this last resort.

“Why did I ever hire those guards, anyway? They never even checked my clothes to see if I have anything.” He pulled his shoe off, and poured out the contents – shards of fallen SOULs from the dark world, none of which were complete. Not wasting any time, he grabbed the dog bowl that Lancer forced his food to be delivered in, and filled it with his helping of water.

“So, both my son and those three from the prophecy think they can work against me… let’s see them cower before _this_.” He delicately placed the SOUL pieces into the water, and began to recite the Latin spell that he hoped he could recall correctly.

“Verisimile est, hoc difficile est legere!” Unfortunately for Spade King, all that did was set off the loud stink bomb that Lancer had stuck on the bottom of the bowl. He looked around to see if it woke anyone up, but all he heard was a distant “I wanna pet the dog” from a sleep talker. The coast was still clear, so he cleared his throat and tried again. 

“Hrmhrm… “Etiam illi, qui non potest legere, te exstasis per hoc!” With that, a great white mix rose from the bowl, and the pieces of the SOULs began to mix with the steam. They twisted and turned into a variety of horrendous shapes.

“Lightners and Darkners, prepare to see what true fear is! Either give me the power I deserve, or suffer for all eternity!” When the rest of the steam blew away, the terrifying creations were revealed: A series of giant Amalgamates, ready to attack anything in sight.

“Now, go show those wimps what they’ve got coming!” The Amalgamates seeped through the bars and ran off to the stairwell, as the Spade King filled the prison with maniacal laughter.

Meanwhile, Kris and Ralsei were still in the library, working their hardest to find the solution they needed. All the books, thankfully, were in English (the Spade King didn’t know _that_ much Latin), but it was still difficult reading, with some of the old tenses and word choice somehow making less sense than Rouxls Kaard. Ralsei was more familiar with it, since some of the books at his castle were just as old, but Kris was lost in it all.

“Uh… do you have any idea what these terms mean?” Ralsei gave Kris’s book a glimpse, and told him the meaning in about three seconds.

“Hehe, maybe you should read this one, you’d get a lot more out of it than I could.”

Ralsei put his hand on the book to bring it towards him, and it brushed with Kris’s for a moment. He let out a little laugh before he began to read, which brought out a smile in Kris as well… until _it_ happened.

With no type of warning whatsoever, Kris involuntarily grabbed one of the books and angrily chucked it at the window, then took the page that was still in his hand and ripped it into pieces.

“…Um… Kris? Did something in that book scare you?” For a moment, Kris had a frightening expression on his face, before shaking his head and snapping back into control of himself. Realizing that the book was destroyed by his doing, he slowly sat back down at the desk and lowered his head onto his hands.

“That book’s beyond repair, right?” Ralsei was confused, but he still nodded, saying it was too ancient for any spell to mend it.

“Whatever’s happening to me seems to be getting worse… that was only a book, what if I get that way around a Darkner?” Kris looked more worried than Ralsei’d ever seen him before. With nothing else in mind, the prince wrapped his arms around the human and tried his best to comfort him. He slowly hugged back, feeling the ribbon that he’d tied around Ralsei’s hat when they first met. It still hadn’t been untied once.

“I don’t know what’s wrong…”

“We’re going to figure this out together, no matter what. I’m with you all the way.”

The hug brought Ralsei’s memory back to the day he wrote in his journal after the fountain was sealed.

* * *

 

Despite how busy the day had been, Ralsei was still full of energy, flipping his journal open to the first blank page he could find. He immediately started writing with his pen (he didn’t like using pencils, since he thought all of his thoughts in the pages should be on impulse and not made artificial by erasing), and told the story of what he was certain was the best day of his life.

“Somehow, as soon as I saw them, I understood that their names were Susie and Kris-”

He suddenly stopped writing, as his heart was beating a little faster. He couldn’t figure out what was happening, but when he saw the last word he wrote, Ralsei understood.

“…Ralsei, keep it together. You’ve only known him for a day, it’s too early to think of someone like that…” He still had that tingly feeling, and waited for it to stop before he kept writing, but there was still a grin on his face as he worked his way through the pages.

* * *

 

Reality hit Ralsei again, as he felt Kris’s heavy breathing slow down. They reluctantly let go of the hug and pushed their chairs in.

“Maybe feeling a bit of the breeze outside would be a good break for us, Kris. I could pull some of those apples from the nearby trees for you.”

Before Kris could reply, a loud thumping came from the nearby walls. Neither of them knew what it was, but Ralsei thought of it as a sign they should get going, and Kris agreed. As soon as they reached the top of the stairwell, Susie and Lancer came out of the elevator.

“Did you hear that noise, too? Susie and I were admiring my new throne when we heard this loud crash.”

“He does have a pretty sick throne, you two should quit staring at those books and give it a look.”

“Um… now’s probably not the best time. Kris and I heard it, too, you don’t have any idea what it could be?”

“Nope.”

“Well, we should all at least stick together, in case-”

The thumping came back, and it was so harsh that the walls started shaking. All four of them realized that they couldn’t waste any time talking.

“Quick! Get to the emergency exit!” Lancer swiftly ran to the newest ‘emergency exit’ he’d ordered to be put in, which was just a hole in the wall with a trampoline under it, and jumped through. On any other day, the other three would question Lancer’s decision-making, but they didn’t have any other options, so they jumped through after him. The trampoline was able to hold all of their weight, and they made it to the ground without a scratch. Susie was the first to speak up.

“Dude, I think your castle needs a good plumber or something.”

Lancer was about to say how great the castle’s sewage was, and that it’d never need a plumber, but he was interrupted by a booming voice that he recognized immediately.

“…and don’t come back until they’re all done for.”

Somehow, someway, his father had another plan up his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that this'll be six chapters long, which means it's halfway through completion. I hope you've all been enjoying my story so far, and I look forward to sharing the rest in the coming days!


	4. Fear Factor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang has to scramble away from the castle after the Amalgamates have been set loose. While they try to figure out what's being going on, Kris begins to feel more and more uneasy...

**Chapter 4 – Fear Factor**

 

At first, all they could make out was a blur. It looked like a white, floating puzzle, before it started to split into its variety of forms. Ralsei was the only one that recognized them, and they sent chills down his spine.

Since the pieces of the SOULs were mixed together, each Amalgamate was its own combination of confusing shape and limb structure. A cold seemed to emanate off of them, making the whole castle seem to freeze. For now, they didn’t seem to understand that their targets were right below them, which gave the Fun Gang enough time to try to get away.

“Quick! The emergency pit’s nearby!” Like the exits, the emergency pit was lazily put together; it was just made in some dirt, with painted cardboard that could blend in when it covers the hole. Also like earlier, though, no one else had anything in mind, so they scurried their way over to it, hoping they wouldn’t be seen.

“Lancer, did you ever put air holes in the cardboard?” He hadn’t, but it wouldn’t be long before the Amalgamates would catch up, so he took a nearby twig and stabbed some holes into it.

“Now I did!” He opened up the pit for the others to jump into, then lowered the cardboard above him. Despite the lack of effort put into the pit, Lancer did think to leave a lantern in it, so he lit the light as everyone took a moment to sit down and breathe. Kris, who’d already been through enough in the last hour as it was, was baffled.

“Does anyone have a clue what those are?”

Ralsei told him about the deformed beings, and how the Spade King must’ve made them. They’re one of the oldest and disturbing types of creatures that are recorded in his library. Even with this in mind, he explained how former SOULs are used to create them, and that they shouldn’t be handled with violence, as what’s left of the SOULs would be destroyed completely.

“As powerful as they are, they’re made of trapped pieces of SOULs. If we can find the right way to defeat them, they can be released to a peaceful afterlife.”

“Well, what do you plan to do if they come swinging at us?” Susie made a good point; there wasn’t much time to be peaceful if the Amalgamates had no moral compass.

“If it’s not safe to get out of here for a while, it may as well be what we try to figure out.” Ralsei tried his hardest to recall all that he’d read about them, while Susie and Lancer talked about the latter’s father, and why he’d stoop to such a low level.

“Was he always that screwed up in his head?”

“He was never really calm, but he didn’t go all haywire until he scared my mom away from us a couple years ago. Ever since, he’s decided to take out his mistakes on anyone or thing he thinks less of. He still took orders from that Knight before he got locked up…”

Ralsei’s head swung towards them. “The Knight? You know who they are?”

“No, but ex-Dad kept on saying how important they are, and how they’ve got powers he could only dream of. If my dad says that someone’s better than him, something weird’s going on.”

“I hope he’s not somehow still communicating with him… your guards wouldn’t let that happen, right?”

“Eh, he hired the first people he could find, and I didn’t have the guts to fire them when I took over. As far as I know, they haven’t done anything.”

While the other three talked about the Knight and the mysterious impact he’d left on the kingdom, Kris sat on his own nearby and watched, trying to take in everything he was hearing. He hadn’t told the others yet, but after he jumped out of the castle a bit ago, he’d entered a sour mood that he couldn’t explain. No matter where he’d gone today, his problem seemed to cling to him more and more.

“Oh, Kris! I’m being selfish, you haven’t gotten a chance to talk.”

He stayed silent for a while, before just saying, “I don’t get why it’s come to this.” The others agreed, but there wasn’t much they could add to that, so the pit got uncomfortably quiet.

“Did you have anything in mind for what we could do? You’re the leader, we’d all trust any plan you’d have.”

“Yeah, don’t get all quiet like you used to be, dude.”

“We’re all ears, blue one!”

He felt a bit more encouraged, but still didn’t have anything in mind. The first time he came to the Dark World, he had the prophecy to give him direction, but now, there was nothing.

As the Fun Gang sat in the pit, contemplating what to do next, the Spade King waited in his cell. He expected some sort of panic to start after the Amalgamates were set loose, but no one either noticed, or cared.

“…does ANYONE see the white blobs of terror flying around?!” For a bit, all he heard was the echoing of his own voice, until a distant reply came from the cellar.

“Oh, for sure, sure! Those ghastly beings are sure making their presence known, known!”

“Jevil, I wasn’t asking you, you never sleep.”

“Sleep is for the week! In this game, you can never let anything go unseen, or you’ll lose, lose!”

Tired of waiting, the Spade King thought of a deal, and he wasn’t sure if he could follow through with it, but he made it anyway.

“Amalgamates, whoever defeats the ‘heroes’ gets all of the SOUL fragments, and can live a complete life again!” Not knowing that it may not even be possible, the Amalgamates heard and eagerly sped their way around the inside and outside of the castle. Their efforts probably would have been for nothing, but Lancer made the mistake of showing the Fun Gang how loudly he could chew the apple that he’d been saving if he ever “had to make a demonstration.”

“Susie! How many decibels was that?” He’d given Susie a device to see how loud the bite was.

“Uh… 89.5. I don’t know if that’s good or not.”

“Yes! A new record!” Only Ralsei seemed to realize the mistake in all of this.

“Um… Lancer, isn’t this letting everyone know where we’re hiding?”

“No way! The cardboard’s completely soundproof, nothing’s gonna get through-”

They were interrupted by a cold, ghostly chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just two chapters left! I'm really looking forward to what's gonna be in them, and I hope you enjoy them just as much.


	5. For Whom The Car Rolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Amalgamates have found the Fun Gang, and they're left with no choice but to try to escape. Their only option is a risky ride in a vehicle from the garage of Lancer's castle. Without much time to think, they have to both get away from the Amalgamates and save them from their tormented state, all while Kris's mind feels more and more out of place...

**Chapter 5 – For Whom The Car Rolls**

 

They’d been found. As the Amalgamates started pushing their way through the cardboard, Lancer realized he’d be paying dearly for his mistake. Susie tried to distract them with a question.

“Seriously? You’re attracted to chewing noises? There isn’t anything else around here that’s worth your time?”

Surprisingly, this worked, as the Amalgamates didn’t know how to handle questions, especially with their lack of speech. As they floated around the pit in a dazed the state, the four heroes quietly snuck their away around them and ran out of the hole. Once the beasts snapped out of their trance, they realized they’d been fooled, and turned around to find their prey. Ralsei nervously spoke up.

“What’re we gonna do now?! They’re even worse than I’ve read about…”

“Don’t worry! There’s something in my castle’s garage that’ll get us out of here in a spiffy!”

“It’s not another one of those ‘emergency exits’, right?”

“Nope, it’s even better!” Lancer led the others in a sprint to the garage doors on the back side of the castle. He jolted to the security screen, where he was met by footage of a bored security officer.

“Hey, before you answer that, how’d you learn to chew so loud?”

“Oh, I never practiced that! It’s just something that I’ve had naturally. It doesn’t always pop up at the best times, though, like when ex-Dad had important people over…”

Susie was weirded out, and her expression proved that. Nevertheless, Lancer turned his head back to the screen.

“*Yawn* Name and reason for entry, please.”

Clearly, the heroes didn’t have time for this.

“It’s the NEW KING, you dimwit! We need the car for a daring escape!” His chewing noise level apparently worked for his voice as well, as it made the officer snap into focus and quickly roll the door open. The car seemed brand new, was covered in sleek black paint, and had four wheel drive. The logo on the front of the hood showed them all that it came from the best car manufacturer in the Dark World: “Bercedes-Menz.”

“I hope one of you knows how to drive! Dad forbid me from trying, and now’s not the right time to try to learn.”

Ralsei never had the need to drive, and Susie’s mom hadn’t given her the chance to learn yet, but Kris had gotten his permit a couple months ago. It wasn’t a license, but it was better than anything the others had, so he had to be the driver.

“I’m not sure if Dad put any anti-human features in it, though. You sure it’s best to hop in?”

“Yeah, dude, seems like the thing that piece of slime would do-” Kris’s patience had run dry.

“JUST GET IN THE F***ING CAR!”

The others blankly stared at Kris, with no idea how that could’ve come out of his mouth. With the Amalgamates right behind them, though, there wasn’t much time to think, so they all swung open the passenger’s door. Unfortunately, the other three all tried to get in at once, so Kris had to wait until they all pushed through before he could get the car moving.

“Keep your seatbelts on, I’ve got no idea when I’ll have to stop this thing!” He turned the key, pushed his foot onto the gas, and they sped out of the garage. He ordered the others to keep their heads out the window and look back at the Amalgamates, and if they got too close, to throw anything they had at them to keep them confused.

Somewhere in the mess, the radio got bumped, and a deafening voice played.

“YOU’VE BEEN LISTENING TO WMTL 103.1 FM – THE METAL OF THE DARK WORLD.”

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeqGuaAl6Ic>

“Heck yeah! I love this song!” Lancer started head banging to the powerful thrashing of Metallica. While Kris kept his foot on the gas and Susie and Ralsei kept the car protected, Lancer didn’t contribute whatsoever, aside from maybe getting some weird looks along the way. The insanity in the car was actually the best defense, as every shot that the Amalgamates took missed when the car would make a swerve.

“How many are left?!” The cold that emanated from the Amalgamates was making the windows more and more fogged.

“Uh, looks like there’s about four-“

“FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLLLLS, TIME MARCHES ON!”

Kris’s head couldn’t take much more of this. The emptiness that he’d felt ever since first leaving the Dark World was beginning to turn into anger, as he didn’t understand what he could’ve done to deserve any of what had fallen onto his plate. All he'd wanted was some privacy with his best friend, and he got a car getaway for his life in return.

The car made its way through the Dark World, smashing its way through anything that got in its way. By some miracle, Kris got it through Lancer’s maze without a dent, and he then rushed his way across the Great Board. Some of the tiles couldn’t handle the weight of the tires, and crumbled.

“Look out, Kris, there’s C. Rounds!” There indeed were, and they were innocently rolling their way along the board, paying no attention to what was getting closer. Kris was able to get around most of them, but Ralsei had to cast some spells to launch the rest of them off of the board. He felt bad about the impact they took, but it was a lot better than the alternative.

The scariest moment was when they came by Seam’s Seap. It wasn’t made with the best materials, so the wind from the car could be enough to knock it over. Something must have been watching over the Fun Gang that fateful day, though, as he found a lump of dirt to drive over. It flung the car over part of the field maze, which both avoided the Seap, and bought the group time while the Amalgamates had to find another way to find them. Seam somehow slept through all of this.

“Oh no! The waterfall’s coming up!” Ralsei’s castle was close approaching, which left Kris with virtually no room to hit the brakes. The Great Door wasn’t opened, so he had to break his way through it, and while the car survived, the door didn’t. Ralsei sadly looked back at it for a moment, knowing how old it had been, before remembering that his own life was on the line with every breath he took.

“Hold on to something!” As the final chord from the Metallica song played, Kris slammed his foot on the brake pedal, making everyone in the car hit their heads on whatever was in front of them. The Amalgamates that hadn’t faded away already from all the effort didn’t have enough time to stop, and they ran right into the bumper, destroying them on impact. It wasn’t hard enough to destroy the SOUL pieces, though, as they safely flew away and returned to their afterlife. Kris turned the car off, and everyone took a minute to sit and breathe in silence. Ralsei eventually broke the stillness.

“Great driving, Kris! You finally stopped those things-”

E n o u g h .

The only thing that Kris wanted now was to be left alone. He got out of the car, slammed the door, and walked into the inn outside the castle without saying a word. The others were stunned – they’d never have expected Kris to turn away from someone like that, especially when Ralsei was talking. Susie and Lancer had grown to understand the seriousness of how close the two were.

“I- I should go talk to him. He could hurt himself out there with a mood like that…” Ralsei left the car and ran to the inn without a moment’s hesitation. Once he was out of earshot, Susie turned to Lancer.

“Um… how long do you think we wait until we try to save them from themselves?”

“…I really don’t know, but it’s probably all my fault…” He figured that the ear-splittingly loud music was what sent Kris over the edge. Still, he and Susie watched from the inside of the car, hoping nothing would go wrong.

Kris slammed the door behind him and pounded his way up the stairs. He had no clue where he was going, but it didn’t matter to him, as long as he was going _somewhere_. For better or worse, the anger that had enveloped him was about to come to a head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part's the finale! I'm grateful for all the hits that this has gotten, and I hope you all enjoy the upcoming ending.  
> (All credit for For Whom The Bell Tolls goes to Metallica.)


	6. Discovering Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the car ride, Kris's descent to insanity is all but complete. Ralsei knows he has to act quickly to save the human from his own wrongdoings. Whether or not it goes as planned, this is where his efforts to bring his friend back must come to a head.

**Chapter 6 – Discovering Purpose**

 

When Ralsei opened the door, he heard a loud pounding coming from above his head, and saw the ceiling violently shaking. After a nervous gulp, he decided he shouldn’t waste any time and ran up the steps. Before entering the room, he talked to himself about what the worst of the worst could be.

“Ralsei, no matter what he does, don’t hurt him. You’re a Darkner, it’s your responsibility to save him. I just hope I don’t have to save myself, too.”

The door on the top floor was already open, and when he entered, he saw Kris frantically slamming his fists around the room, without any sense of direction.

It was clear that whatever was going on was beyond Kris’s control. The room was full of damage, but something about it seemed oddly… precise. The book shelves, for instance, were badly battered, aside from the one that had a book on the history of disease. Wanting to save his friend and the wealth of information from the texts, Ralsei spoke up.

“KRIS!! I don’t know what’s wrong, but please give me the chance to at least speak…”

He instantly stopped the slamming and slowly turned around. His hair was a complete mess, and for the first time, Ralsei saw something he’d never seen from Kris before: piercing red eyes.

“O- oh. Kris, you don’t have to try to describe it. I know what’s wrong…” He sadly looked towards the floor.

Seeing the look on his friend’s face brought Kris to some control, albeit not enough. He slowly walked over to the prince and wrapped his arms around him.

“P… please tell me what’s wrong with me.”

Ralsei knew what he was about to say would be deflating to hear, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. He took a deep breath and started. “...It must have happened when you touched the fountain. I can’t forgive myself for not being more careful… to seal the Dark Fountain, you had to temporarily release your SOUL to give the waters power. In doing so, your SOUL was hit with far more power than anyone should withstand…” He cleared his throat before finishing.

“It must have gotten so overcome with raw, untamed energy that when you were eventually too tired to stop it, it took the chance to get out. You… you have no SOUL, Kris.” All of this hit Kris like a pile of bricks.

“…No SOUL. No path for me to try to set out, no control… I’m nothing…” He let go of the hug, and without giving any thought, clenched his fists firmly. It felt as though there was a formless voice in his head, telling him to let out every bit of anger in his body.

“I don’t deserve this! The world is after me with every bit of strife it has! Your prophecy means nothing, my ‘friends’ mean nothing, and _you_ mean nothing!”

Kris had fallen into complete madness. Lacking any power of his own, he grabbed whatever he could find and chucked it across the room – some of which came towards Ralsei. The prince did his best to use spells to block whatever was thrown his way, while taking great care to not hurt Kris in the process. He was waiting for the right chance to use Pacify and put an end to the destruction.

It took everything Ralsei had to not stop and try to talk Kris into cooling himself down. Just about any time one of his friends was feeling off, a discusson and a smile was enough to get them back on track. This time, though, Ralsei knew he had to step outside of his comfort zone. It was terrifying, but he would do it to save the one he felt closest to.

Eventually, Kris had begun to exhaust himself, and was much slower in picking things up. He felt the lifeless voice still barking at him to reveal what he’d been hiding, but there wasn’t much else his body could do before giving out. When he made the mistake of trying to throw an entire desk, Ralsei seized the opportunity and cast Pacify, then managed to use another spell to slow down the desk before it could come crashing down on the human’s head. Kris quickly went down to his knees and drifted off.

“Kris… I am so, so sorry it’s come to this.” Ralsei bent down and spoke to Kris, hoping he’d here his voice in the midst of his rest. “But now that you’re relaxed, I can tell you how to reclaim your SOUL.” He nudged closer so Kris’s ears would pick up everything he said.

“Think about the one thing you care about the most, and don’t let your mind wander onto anything else. Picture yourself with that thing, and the joy it brings you. The only thing that can remove SOULlesness is love, which I know you’re still capable of. Please… the world cares about you, Kris.” Not holding anything back, Ralsei wrapped his arms around Kris and hoped with every fiber in his body that the human understood.

He knew if Lancer and Susie were here, they would’ve thought he was getting too deep in his hopes and tried to do something more… physical. He couldn’t blame them, as it seemed like the natural thing anyone would do, but he understood the power that pure, untainted affection had always been capable of. Here, in this closed space, nothing could get in their way.

Minutes and minutes passed, and Kris hadn’t responded. Ralsei was mortified by the thought that his Pacify spell could have been too strong, or that the lack of a SOUL had completely taken over Kris’s being. Before he could weep, though, Kris started to stir.

“…R…Ral…”

Ralsei’s eyes sprung up. Kris was waking up again, but refused to let Ralsei let go of his grasp. He let him hold on, still having the slightest twinge of fear that there was still evil trapped in the human, but he remained as hopeful as he could be.

“…Ralsei, I know what I feel the closest to, and nothing could ever matter more than it.”

The prince’s heart started racing. If his research was right, Kris would finally be returning to his senses. But, if he was putting this much emphasis on Ralsei not letting go, is there any small chance it could mean…?

“…it’s you.”

Back in Hometown, the SOUL that was stuck in Kris’s birdcage began to rattle. With enough determination, it squeezed its way through the bars, and scrambled to find a way out of the house. It sped through the chimney, so Toriel wouldn’t hear any windows smashing, and flew over to the school. With the doors still open, it entered the hall and jolted to the closet doors. Kris’s uncle glanced at it for a moment, but figured his nephew understood what it meant and went back to cleaning.

A loud whirring came from outside, and the SOUL flew through the window with a loud crash. It planted itself right into his back, and the impact brought him closer into Ralsei’s arms. When he opened his eyes again, the red was gone, and their natural blue had come back. He was dazed for a few moments, but opened his eyes more and let out a small smile.

“K-Kris? All of that’s… true?”

“Every word of it, Ral.” He started giving one of the prince’s ears a little rub. Ralsei had no idea what to say but knew he was the happiest he’d been in his entire life. He let Kris play around with his ear as long as he wanted, before helping his maybe-more-than-a-friend-now up to his feet.

“D… do you wanna go back to the car together?”

“Sure thing.” He started walking out of the inn room (he promised to clean it at a better time), not letting go of Ralsei’s hand while doing so. It jerked him forward for a moment before he knew what was happening, and it got him all blushed as the two walked down the steps together, both grinning.

Meanwhile, Susie and Lancer were still waiting in the car in a ready position, in case they could see anything dangerous happen. The building had been shaking around wildly for minutes before coming to an abrupt stop. Susie interpreted this as at least one of the two getting hurt badly.

“Okay, we’ve waited long enough. Lancer, I’m going in _now_.”

“Right behind you!” The two of them ran out of the car to the inn door and swung it open, ready to rush inside of it. As soon as they opened the door, though, they saw their two friends, and had to stop their momentum so they wouldn’t all run into each other. Lancer, of course, was the first to say something about it.

“Ralsei! Blue person- I mean Kris! You’re okay!” Susie wasn’t as quick to assume, though.

“Are the two of you… alright? No more funny business?”

“Nope!” Ralsei’s face lit up with joy. “We can explain later, but it’s all in the past now. Let’s head back to your castle, it’s getting late and there’ll be enough rooms there for all of us.” No one had a problem with this, so they all made their way to the now scuffed up Bercedes-Menz. Rather than let Kris back into the driver’s seat, though, Lancer got up front and hit the self-driving button.

“…There was a self-driving button the whole time?”

“Uh… seems like it. Sorry I forgot to tell ya sooner…”

On any other day, the others might’ve been a bit frustrated, but they all just laughed instead. Susie took the other front seat this time, and Kris and Ralsei sat in the back as the car started driving its way back to Lancer’s castle. As the car cautiously made its way around every bump, Kris quietly turned to the prince.

“Hey. Ral.”

“Y-yes, Kris?”

“Remember when we made that thrash machine design, and you told me it’s okay to express myself?”

“…Mhm…”

Without another word, Kris planted a smooch on Ralsei’s cheek before facing forward again. The fluffy boy was now a mess of emotions and tried to talk, but could only make a bunch of little squeals. Susie swung her head around, figured it was best not asking, and turned back.

Eventually, after a much slower ride than the first one, the car coughed its way back to the front gates. They all got out of the car and were let into the castle by the Rudins that were on guard. Before they could went up to the bedrooms, though, Lancer decided to swing by the prison to check in on Ex-Dad. He’d already figured out by the silence that his plan was foiled, and now his son was coming to rub it in.

“You’re gonna have to try a little harder to get rid of your new King! You’ve got no idea how unstoppable the human and his friends are.”

The former King was about to make some witty comeback about how he had something else planned that was far worse, but for now, he had nothing. Lancer told him he’d be getting even less food for the rest of the month as punishment, then said some weird joke about the ice cream he had earlier before returning to the stairs.

“Aha! That is what you call a _burn_ , my friend, friend!” Jevil’s untimely reactions weren’t making Ex-Dad feel any better.

Lancer brought the Fun Gang up the now working elevator and showed them what rooms they could stay in. He still hadn’t found the key to free the other Kings from their childish cell, but Ralsei assured him that he’d free them with a spell the next morning, when he’d have a clearer mind to remember how to cast it. Once that was planned, Lancer was about to tell them how to avoid any Rouxls Kaard interruptions when his watch alarm went off.

“Welp, I’ve hit my self-imposed curfew! I’ll tell you the rest some other time. Smell ya later!” With that, the young king sped off to his room, hoping for a lazy night of sleep. Susie gave the other two a rare pat on the back before getting to her own room, and she was just as ready to pass out. There were too rooms left for Kris and Ralsei, but the human offered for them to share one.

“R-really? I’m only a-”

“Yes, I know you’re a Darkner, and I want you to know that doesn’t mean you’re worth anything less than the people of the Light World. You’re better than anyone I could try to find up there.”

Ralsei was lost for words again, but listened to Kris and didn’t say anything against it. If they had more energy, the two would’ve been willing to spend hours talking about what Kris had been through, but for now, they just needed rest. Kris pulled his armor off and laid on the fluffy mattress, and waited for Ralsei to do the same. The prince blushed and smiled again as he pulled off his hat and robe, then got on himself and planted his head on the other pillow. He used some magic to turn the lights off.

Not being one for many words, Kris just whispered “Night, prince of the darkness” as the candles grew dim, and pulled the bed sheets over the two. Wanting to be closer, they both wrapped their arms around each other. Taking a long, quiet breath, Ralsei gathered the confidence to whisper “you too, hero” into Kris’s ear, not knowing if he’d passed out already or not. Kris’s heart started beating a little faster as the two fell into one of the deepest sleeps they’d had in a long time.

There were still many questions that hadn’t been answered yet. Ralsei didn’t know all of why the Fountain did so many horrible things to Kris, but knew he would never refuse to quit looking. The mystery of the Angel of Heaven in the prophecy was also unfulfilled, and neither of them had any clue who the Knight was, or where they were waiting to make their move. At that moment, though, tightly curled up together under the sheets, Kris and Ralsei had found something that they’d been searching for their whole lives, even if they hadn’t realized until now.

They'd found their true purpose: each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading my story! I apologize for this final chapter taking so long, I wasn't sure how to put all my ideas into place. It was my first time writing an AO3 story, and I'm appreciative of all the support that the site's allowed me to have. My next work is gonna be something a bit more serious, so be on the lookout for that!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, leave a Kudos and comment if you enjoyed what you read. :)


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